M’s notes: Sweeney gets rare start at first base

Looking to keep Mike Sweeney’s hot bat in the lineup, manager Don Wakamatsu is asking the veteran designated hitter to warm up his little-used first baseman’s glove on Sunday as well.

Mike Sweeney

“We’re greasing it up right now,” Wakamatsu said with a smile after asked if Sweeney had found his mitt yet upon seeing the lineup posted for the 1:10 p.m. game against the San Diego Padres.

The 17-year veteran played catcher early in his career and then first base for most of six seasons in Kansas City, but has been limited mostly to designated hitter in recent years. He’s started at first base just 22 games over the past four years, including five last season for the Mariners.

His last start at first base was nearly a year ago, on May 25 in Oakland.

But Sweeney has carried the Mariners’ struggling offense the past eight games, going 12-for-28 with five home runs and 11 RBIs. He was hitting .176 on May 12, but has raised that average now to .290.

So after originally planning to give Sweeney the day off Sunday against right-handed pitcher Mat Latos, Wakamatsu instead has him at first base with Ken Griffey Jr. at designated hitter.

“He’s obviously swinging the bat as well as anyone,” said Wakamatsu.

Sweeney regularly takes ground balls at first base during batting practice, so he hasn’t forgotten how to play the position. But the skipper will keep a close eye on how he looks in the field.

“You get out there and watch it and hopefully we’ll have the lead and we can use (Casey) Kotchman late in the game defensively if there’s a problem,” Wakamatsu said. “But you look at these one-run ballgames and you want to be able to manufacture or drive in enough runs to give you a chance to win that.

“Having Sweeney, (Milton) Bradley and now Griff in there gives us a chance to have a little more depth.”

The other concern is Sweeney’s notoriously bad back.

“We talk about it, but Mike comes in every day and says he’s good to go,” Wakamatsu said. “You look at the home runs and the way he’s swinging the bat and that kind of tells you his back is OK. So you just keep going with it.”

Wakamatsu said if Sweeney can play some first base, that also will provide some options when the Mariners play interleague games on the road at National League parks next month.

With Kotchman in a horrible slump that has seen his own batting average plummet to .196, is it possible the M’s might think of Sweeney at first base on a regular basis?

Bedard still hurting: Pitcher Erik Bedard played catch for the second straight day before Sunday’s game and experienced enough continuing discomfort in his shoulder that he’ll be checked out by the Mariners’ doctors.

Coming back from labrum surgery last August, Bedard at one time was believed way ahead of schedule, but has since regressed to the point where the M’s aren’t sure what to expect.

“We’ll know more after the doctors look at him,” Wakamatsu said. “So far it hasn’t been anything that was more than a natural progression from the surgery. Today, that might change. We’ll just see what the doctor says and where we’re at with it.”

Looking for their ace: Felix Hernandez gets the start Sunday against the Padres and the Mariners are looking for better results than have been produced so far in May.

Felix Hernandez

After going 2-1 with a 2.23 ERA in five starts in April, Hernandez is 0-2 with a 6.97 ERA in four May outings. After two very rough outings at Safeco against the Rangers and Angels, he pitched well in a no-decision at Baltimore on May 13, then gave up 11 hits in six innings in another no-decision his last time out at Oakland.

“He’s been battling,” Wakamatsu said. “It’s one step forward and two steps back with the mechanics. But I do think it stems from when he had the stiff back.

“The biggest thing will be his command. He had the ability last year to be able to have maybe one high-pitch inning, but he’d always rebound from that and get you into the seventh, eighth or even ninth.

“His last outing he had 40-something pitches (actually 52) in the first two innings and that puts a lot of pressure on him to be perfect the rest of the day. Rick (Adair) and John (Wetteland) are both working with him and Felix is working hard to correct those things.”

More lineup juggling: With Sweeney shifted to first base, Griffey is making just his fourth start at DH in the last 12 games. He isn’t the only fresh face in the batting order Sunday as Wakamatsu has Matt Tuiasosopo filling in for Jose Lopez at third base and Rob Johnson back in place of Josh Bard at catcher.